Victor Stark

Victor Stark, 39, loved being around people. As a service clerk at Shaw's supermarket in Falmouth, he knew everyone, and everyone knew him.

In Stark's book, anybody who crossed his path was worthy of a smile and a nickname. His supervisor, Vicki Tufts, was christened "Tufts boss." His friend, Mario LeDuc, was "Super Mario."

"I don't think Victor came in here one day without making everyone laugh," Tufts said yesterday.

Stark was proud of his impressive attendance record at Shaw's, and loved working with the other clerks and cashiers, Tufts said.

"I just can't tell you how much everyone in this store liked him. And not just the people at the front end; everyone in every department knew him," she said.

On Thursday night, he headed off to The Station with two buddies, Donald Roderiques, 46, who lived in the same Wampanoag Drive apartment building, and Milton "Skip" Servis Jr., 40, of East Falmouth. Servis escaped the blaze with severe injuries, but Stark and Roderiques never made it out, authorities have confirmed.

Stark had been anticipating his 40th birthday in early March.

"He kept telling us, 'Do you know my birthday's coming up?' He wanted to make sure we would remember," Tufts said. "We would have remembered."